Crimson Snow
by Harpfire
Summary: When Ealdor is attacked, the Knights of Camelot ride out to save the little village. An unexpected problem arises, changing Merlin's life forever. I don't own Merlin.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction so I'm a little nervous. Thanks to Dawnfire11 she is an amazing writer and I suggest you go read her fanfic's. Seriously I never would have even started this fic without her. Please read and review.**

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Chapter 1:

"Mmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrr rrrrrrrrllllllllllllliiiiiii iiinnnnnnnn!"

A brown haired figure flung open the door to the king's chambers, stumbling over his own feet as he did so, almost dropping the large plate of breakfast he was carrying from the kitchens.

With a wide grin on his face, he asked "You called sire?" He placed the plate on the table.

"Yes Merlin!" the king yelled. "Can you manage just once to bring my breakfast to me on time? Just once?"

"Well now that you're king, I'm trying to not only keep your waist the same size, but your ego as well."

"I'M NOT FAT!" Arthur shouted.

The king flung a pitcher at his servant's head and Merlin only managed to dodge it by ducking underneath the table. The pitcher clanged off the stone floor.

Merlin popped back up, smiling as he said, "So you need anything else, clotpole?"

Arthur shouted, "Yes Merlin. Have you seen the state of this place?"

The room was indeed covered with clothes, various pieces of armor, food, and bed sheets that had been mysteriously flung across the room. Merlin had cleaned it the day before, but, as usual, the king managed to make a mess out of the room without trying.

"But... but you have a council meeting in five minutes," Merlin protested.

"Fine! Dress me, but when I'm training, your sorry ass better be in here cleaning this mess up."

Ten minutes later, dressed in his red jerkin, Arthur burst open the door to the council chambers, Merlin following close behind.

The council meeting lasted through lunch and proceded Arthur drawing out plans for a part of the outer wall to be repaired. Arthur debriefed the council members on the cost and benefits of the new section, and how long the project would take.

Merlin stood off to the side of Arthur, studying council members, looking for the slightest expression of deceit that could escalate and he would have to save Arthur again from another half-baked plan by another person trying to kill his best friend.

When Arthur was pleased with the plans for the wall, he called the meeting over and swept out of the room, leaving Merlin to gather all the papers off the table and catch up to Arthur in time to prepare his master for his afternoon training.

Merlin was fitting the last piece of armor on Arthur's left shoulder when there was a knock at the door and a guard burst in.

"An urgent matter needs your attention in the council chambers, my lord," the guard said hurriedly.

"Thank you. Merlin, come with me." The king strode out of the room, heading swiftly to the council chamber. A man was standing in the middle of the room when they arrived.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur asked.

"My village has been attacked and overthrown by bandits, my lord," the man mumbled.

"What village?"

The man hesitated. Arthur leaned in closer and said, "You may speak without fear. No harm will come to you... I promise."

"A small village in Cenred's lands named Ealdor."


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) I love all of you guys! Thank you for all the reviews and favorites, each and every one struck a chord in my heart. I know there is no excuse for how long I took to post this, but I was really busy. I hope that you will continue to read and review and know that you are amazing for sticking with me for this long. (Also if there are any spelling mistakes i am writhing this at 2:30 in the morning so yeah...)**

**Also a shout out to the person who gave me the encouragement to continue this story when I thought is was cookie cutter and stupid. Thank you Dawnfire11.**

**Disclaimer: I just need four words -I don't own Merlin.**

**Chapter 2:**

"My village has been attacked and overthrown by bandits, my lord," the man mumbled.

"What village?"

"A small village in Cenred's lands named Ealdor."

Arthur glanced over at his servant. He noticed Merlin's pale complexion. His eyes were haunted by memories of the last time Ealdor was attacked.

Arthur suddenly spouted out orders, "Merlin gather provisions and saddle the horses. Gwaine, Elyan, Percival, Leon. Go. be in the courtyard ready to leave within the hour."

The king turned around swiftly, his cape billowing out behind him, and his hand went to his forehead, as he faced his tall throne.

"Agravaine stay, the rest of you leave." An agitated Arthur muttered.

While the room filled out, Agravaine approached Arthur. The door closed, and he looked at his uncle. "You are the only person I could intrust Camelot to uncle. I promise I won't be gone long. Gaius is a trusted ally, if you need anything ask him."

Arthur swept out of the room his cloak billowing behind him, leaving Agravaine standing alone, staring at his retreating figure.

-{[0]}-

The king reached the frost covered courtyard, to find Gwen saddling her white mare along with the Knights. Merlin stood off to the side, his expression grim.

"Oh no, you are not coming with us this time," Arthur scolded Gwen, heading to his own horse and checking the tack was securely fastened.

"And why not?" Gwen asked, astonished.

The king turned around to face his one true love, and whispered in her ear, "Because I love you and this mission could be dangerous."

Gwen looked exasperated at this statement. "But I care for Merlin too, and Hunith is my friend. I need to got to make that sure she is safe."

"You are not coming. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."

"Okay, if I'm not coming with you, I'll just sneak out tonight, and risk bandits and robbers to catch up to you. No matter what you do, you cannot stop me. I have made my decision," Gwen said, climbing into the saddle of her horse, knowing that Arthur was going to give up.

Merlin smiled slightly at Gwen, and Arthur finally relented several minutes later, after brooding on the subject to try to find a loophole. She winked and smiled at him, when she saw his gaze.

After making the last minute runs through the castle to retrieve the items that Arthur, or one of the Knights had forgotten, Merlin finally was able to relax in his saddle for a whole two and a half seconds before Arthur gave the signal to ride out, and they set off at a gallop. leaving the safety and comfort of camelot behind.

Merlins butt was already sore, and from experience on previous patrols he knew that he would have to tough this one out. The pain wouldn't be alleviated until he had a good nights sleep on solid ground. He might have taken every opportunity to annoy Arthur with complaints about the biting cold, and how if he rode just a little farther in front of him, the king might be able to block the wind with his immense girth. But Merlin didn't have the heart at the moment to make another witty comment or joke when he knew that his mother could be in grave danger, as well as the other people in the village.

After a few hours of hard riding the company found a small clearing and dismounted, promptly dumping all the chores on a staggering and helpless Merlin. The knights and Gwen settled down on their sides as Merlin started to gather supplies for dinner. With his lapsing energy he could only manage to gather a small amount of wood before he got too frustrated and carelessly lit the fire with a whisper of "_forbearne_". In an instant, a small fire sprung up in front of him. As the orange glow hit his face Merlin turned in small fit of panic, afraid that someone had seen his momentary lack of judgement.

The group was completely oblivious to what Merlin was doing. he was relieved that an argument was brewing between Gwaine an Arthur that was distracting them.

"Anyone who is foolish enough to wake up before dawn should be punished with the severity of a traitor" said Gwaine like he was a little kid who didn't get that toy he wanted.

"Well I think that they should have a punishment in line with that of a sorcerer." said Elyan harshly. Gwen gave her brother a piercing glare of disapproval.

The knights continued agreeing with Gwaine and complaining to Arthur about how hard their lives were, when in a split second, an arrow flew out of the darkness. Merlin's head spun and saw the piece of wood, imbed itself with a heart stopping thud in Arthurs unburdened chest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**(A/N) Yay faster update this time! i actually had a ton of fun writing this chapter, while it was a pain to write, i am excited to hear what you guys think. :) Thank you for the great feedback, follows and favorites.**

**As always thanks to the wonderful Dawnfire11 (i recommend her three fic's they are worth your time)**

**Disclaimer: Wish I owned Merlin, but sadly I don't.**

_An arrow flew out of the darkness, and imbedded itself with a heart stopping thud in Arthurs unburdened chest._

Merlin looked on as his best friend was struck down. Disbelief ran through his veins.

_No, no, no this cannot be happening._

But even before he could fully comprehend this terrible fact, the whole company was under attack. Arrows were raining down from the sky, whizzing down at incredible speeds through the darkness.

The knights surrounded Arther to protect him from further harm, while Gwen flung herself on top of Arthur's chest, and pressed her hands against the wound to stop the bleeding.

Just as fast as they had come, the arrows stopped flying, but in a matter of seconds later, bandits quickly surrounded the group, Gwen and Arthur laying in the middle with the knights and Merlin standing shoulder to shoulder around them.

Merlin saw red next to him, he was too slow to stop a bandit from making a deep wound in Gwain's leg.

Just as his emotions were in turmoil, so was his magic. Merlin's eyes flashed golden, as he raised his hands and, with a single word, he summoned a bolt of lightning that struck each bandit in turn, killing them instantly.

The knights stood dumbfounded, staring as they saw Merlin, the gangly, clumsy, raven haired servant was performing magic.

The look of pure rage changed on Merlin's face when he looked at the king laying in the snow, crimson blood pooling around him.

Arthur still conscious spoke first.

"You have … magic"

All Merlin could do was nod as the clearing became silent. No one moved. No one seemed to breathe.

Until in barely a whisper Arthur said, "You have betrayed Camelot. You have betrayed me..."

With a sudden movement Merlin ran over to where Arthur was laying, Gwen retreated to her husband's head while Merlin pulled the arrow out of his chest. His eyes flashed molten gold, his magic forcing the gaping hole above Arthur's heart to close, the blood flow slowing to a stop.

The knights, recovering from their shock pulled Merlin away from their now healed king. Merlin found his arms held tightly by Leon and Percival.

Gwaine stood up carefully, leaning on his uninjured leg, pressed a sword to Merlin's throat.

Merlin knew that he had to leave them. There was no way that he could persuade anyone that he used his magic for good. His only hope was to flee in the hopes that he would never see any one of them again.

With the help of a little magic, he was able to free his arms from his friends grips and run out of sight in a heartbeat. He ran until his feet could not support his weight, and then collapsed at the base of a tall pine.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

** (A/N) Thank you so much for the reviews, they are my candy on the web.**

**A couple of reviews have been about Gwaine being OOC. But, I really think that Gwaine would have been mad at Merlin for not entrusting him with the secret. He was in pain, also in the heat of the moment people will do crazy things that they wouldn't necessarily do in a normal situation. :) Even though this wasn't the response i was going for, It still gives me a smile, because i know people care enough to leave me these comments.**

**Thanks as always to the fangirl Dawnfire11**

**Disclaimer: Want to own Merlin, but has come to the sad realization that it will never come to pass.**

Merlin slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in at the base of a tree, his legs aching from the strain of running almost half the night.

Then he remembered why he had been running. He remembered Arthur being struck down, the horrible fight that had occurred, and finally, he remembered the magic he had performed. His secret that he had spent countless hours and lots of stress trying to keep hidden from all his friends, was finally out.

The worst part, which he should have expected, was that his friends had all seemed to shun him. The life he knew had come to an end, because, while Gwen might accept him and his magic, the knights and Arthur would never be convinced that he hadn't set out to destroy Camelot.

_What am I supposed to do now, go back to Ealdor I guess_... then with a shock like ice water on bare skin Merlin thought ... _wait... Ealdor. The town is in danger._

With that thought, Merlin gingerly got up from his half sitting position, and with a groan started hobbling as fast as he could east, towards his hometown.

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As the sun started to drop down towards the horizon, Merlin stepped over a ridge and took in the sight his childhood home.

The buildings lay in ruins, burnt to a crisp, only a few houses remained, the walls barely holding up the charred roofs. The snow surrounding the remains were black from the soot and grime, as the fires spread from one building to another.

Merlin fell to his knees, eyes tearing up, his body shaking. His village, the place where he had spent his childhood was gone, along with all the people in it.

His mother came to his thoughts first. There was no possible way that she could have survived, could she? The fires looked like they had consumed the houses in an instant, with no concern for the lives it was ruining or the devastation it would produce.

_Wait._.. he thought suddenly. _There was a chance that the village had been able to evacuate before the fires had taken root. There was still hope._

Tiredly, but with great determination, he stood up and started towards the remains of his former home.

He began searching the outskirts of the town, not daring to go deeper because of the terrible images that were forming in his mind. The thoughts of innocent people whom he had grown up with charred in the ashes of their homes or cut down in the middle of the road, was almost too much to bear.

He found some footprints leading away from the small town, in the snow. His hope growing in his chest, he started running in the direction of his possibly alive and unharmed mother.

When he reached the edge of the wood, the there was only a glimmer of light, as the sun was slowly overtaken by the moon.

He walked for hours, trudging through the thick snow that was starting to pile up. Beginning to grow faint, he realized that he hadn't eaten since the lunch he had eaten with the knights and Arthur the day before.

Merlin's vision began to grow fuzzy, he slumped to the ground just as a figure rushed towards him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**(A/N) I broke 100 followers to this story! Thank you guys, you are the BEST. And over thirty reviews, wow I was not expecting that when I came up with this idea. But keep them coming, I cherish every single one of them!**

**Thank you to Dawnfire11**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

Arthur sat slumped against a tree, fully healed but still in horrible, terrible pain. His friend … No his best friend. Had done the one intolerable thing. He had known the consequences, and he had studied this evil craft.

The knights, having already searched for Merlin for over an hour before stopping and going back to make sure that Arthur and Gwaine were okay, were either sitting slumped like Arthur, or pacing like wild animals. After tending to Gwaine's wound, Gwen stared into the fire, her blank eyes not noticing anything around her. He had built this fire. He had been tending it when the bandits attacked. _Had he used magic?... had he used magic to start it, had he used it every single time they had gone on a patrol, or a top secret mission?_

The bushes around the edge of the clearing swayed morosely, as if they understood the somber mood of the humans they were surrounding.

Arthur, still leaning against the tree, looked over at his love. Her eyes met his, and with an unspoken word she came and sat next to him, not saying anything, knowing that he just needed someone to hold him, to know that they were real and not going to betray him.

"Why would he do this... to me ... to us? Why would he study sorcery?" whispered Arthur into his hands. "Why would he betray me?"

"He did save your life" Gwen said tenderly. When Arthur didn't acknowledge her words, Gwen looked straight into his eyes, and softly spoke into his ear "You know that right? He risked his freedom, possibly his life to save you."

"I don't care!" Arthur stood up with conviction and said, "he is at the mercy of the law".

"Think about this Arthur! Didn't you have a suspicion of this? Didn't you see this coming? You knew that Merlin was hiding something!" Gwen was practically screaming at him now, the knights looking dazed at the sudden change in tone. "Now I realize it, whenever you take Merlin along on a patrol or on some hair brained quest, something strange happens! I've seen it falling branches, people dropping their swords! Don't you see it, he has been helping you from the background since he came to Camelot. I bet he saved your butt multiple times in his first Month and you didn't realize it!

Gwen was breathing hard, she stared at Arthur daring him to say something.

Arthur was slack jawed as his mind raced through all the trips and battles he had been in since Merlin had come to Camelot.

The king remembered Nimueh and the floating ball of light. Merlin had been dying. He couldn't have produced that, and he was a filthy sorcerer, he wouldn't protect a king who had persecute his kind.

All the things Merlin said about protecting Arthur and always being there for him, had all been a lie. There had always been an ulterior motive. The only explanation was that Merlin had been trying to bring down Camelot from the inside. He had been in the perfect position to do it, being servant to the king had given him uncommon access to the king, quarters and even his food.

Arthur finally gathering his nerves together, spoke in a soft voice, "Why would he save me, Gwen? He is obviously trying to topple Camelot. No one with magic would help me of all people... no magic user would help anyone at all."

"You don't really believe that do you Arthur? This is Merlin we are talking about. He has never shone the slightest hint of betraying you, and now that he has magic even though he saved your life in the same minute you accuse him of being heartless? How dare you Arthur." Gwen was furious, stalking off into the trees.

For the second time that day Arthur stared open-mouthed at Gwen.

Merlin was his best friend could he really put behind him all the quests, the trainings, and the jokes he had shared with Merlin, all the immeasurable trust they had put in each other, just because of that one moment? Merlin... kind, compassionate, lovable, stupid, unreliable, and above all loyal Merlin.

"We have to get him back."

**-Alice**


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